The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT October 9, 2010

For years, most coaches have stressed that they want to be playing their best when it comes to the postseason tournaments.

If that is the case, then prepare for an exciting couple of weeks in the various regional and district tournaments.

WITH THE tournament picture in 5A Inland Empire League boys soccer still as muddy as the ground on Thursday afternoon, the Lake City Timberwolves defeated Post Falls 4-0 at the Irma Anderl Soccer Complex.

Had the match went the other way, Post Falls would have finished as the top seed for the 5A Region 1 tournament on Tuesday. Coeur d'Alene wound up the league champion and will face Lewiston, and Post Falls will host Lake City in the other semifinal game.

Lewiston claimed the top seed in the girls regional tournament, but the matchups are far from being settled. Lake City hosts Coeur d'Alene tonight and with a win, the Timberwolves could move up as far as second, but a loss could drop them to fourth by way of tiebreakers against 4A IEL opponents.

MOST FANS got a taste of just how exciting the 5A IEL football race could be when Lake City defeated Post Falls last Friday in Coeur d'Alene.

When Coeur d'Alene returns from Vallivue of Caldwell, the Vikings will begin preparing for three weeks of league play, while both Post Falls and Lake City will play nonleague games on Friday.

Lewiston, which played host to Lake City on Friday night, will get its two home dates out of the way, entertaining Coeur d'Alene next Friday at Bengal Field before traveling to Post Falls on Oct. 29 to close out the regular season.

Whoever makes it out of the four-team league will meet on the first Friday in November in the opening round of the state playoffs.

Much like last season, it may take another tiebreaker to settle the seeds to the state playoffs this season.

THERE IS one bright spot for fans of the Seattle Seahawks this weekend — you don’t have to watch them struggle to score three points on the road.

Fortunately for the team, they’ve got a bye this weekend, so any worries of watching tipped passes turn into interceptions or watching fake field goals come up short will have to wait a week.

After three years of moderate success, the Seahawks cut ties with Julius Jones on Tuesday and acquired Marshawn Lynch to come in and possibly start after the bye.

Whether Lynch is the missing link in the Seattle puzzle remains to be seen — but they can’t get much worse at this point.

Teams need to play their best from this point — or prepare to watch someone else do it.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer from the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via e-mail at jelliott@cdapress.com.